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Skptembeb 0, 1015. 



The Florists' Review 



21 



ing tb«m. Swainsona galegifolia alba 

 owes its American popularity to Mr. 

 Lonsdale, who grew it and recom- 

 mended it as a good plant for general 

 cultivation where fine white flowers 

 were desired. Mr. Lonsdale first ex- 

 hibited Begonia Gloire de Lorraine in 

 Philadelphia, marking it "Not a cen- 

 tury plant, but a plant of the century, ' ' 

 to the delight of his friends. Begonia 

 Lonsdale, a selection of Begonia Lor- 

 raine, now a fixed type, owes its per- 

 petuation to him. These are just a few 

 instances of the many plants that owed 

 something to Mr. Lonsdale. In some it 

 was their origin; in others, their fixed 

 identity through- selection and propaga- 

 tion. Geraniums, fuchsias, cannas, all 

 claimed a share of his attention. 



Among his fellow men Mr. Lonsdale 

 was always popular. Every office where 

 work for their mutual advantage or 

 leadership was required, was his in 

 time: Secretary of the Germantown 

 Horticultural Society, secretary of the 

 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 

 secretary and president of the Philadel- 

 phia Florists' Club, president of the 

 American Carnation Society, "the pick 

 of floral presidents, the president of 

 pinks;" president of the Society of 

 American Florists, were all offices that 

 Mr. Lonsdale filled with credit. His 

 speech in the S. A. F. convention, jvhen 

 the question of a nominating commit- 

 tee and a secret ballot was up for dis- 

 cussion, is still remembered. Mr. Lons- 

 dale arose and with an emphatic ges- 

 ture of his own said, "Let everything 

 be open and aboveboard," and sat 

 down. The house was with him and the 

 motion was lost. As a horticultural 

 writer Mr. Lonsdale takes high rank. 

 He assisted in organizing the first trade 

 paper and was a frequent contributor to 

 its columns, and to many other papers. 

 His reply to Grove P. Eawson on the 

 subject of foliage burning is historic. 



There are few men who have suffered 

 as Edwin Lonsdale suffered. The loss of 

 two, and then a third, lovely flower from 

 his home, misplaced confidence, business 

 embarrassment that led to the loss of 

 that home itself, were blows of terri- 

 ble force. Then it chanced that Girard 

 College needed a gardener, » man of 

 ability. It was said that no one man 

 ever had so many letters of high recom- 

 mendation written for him as had 

 Edwin Lonsdale for the position at 

 Girard College. The amount of wire- 

 pulling was tremendous. When the 

 trustees of Girard College appointed 

 Edwin Lonsdale gardener, every florist 

 in Philadelphia felt that the appoint- 

 ment was directly due to his own in- 

 dividual efforts and was modestly glad 

 it was so. Mr. Lonsdale did good work 

 at the college, proving a worthy suc- 

 cessor to George Huster. His decora- 

 tions of the tomb of Stephen Girard, 

 his croton beds, his schizanthus and his 

 fuchsias, will be remembered with 

 pleasure. Six years ago W. Atlee 

 Burpee invited him to go to Lompoc, 

 Cal., to grow sweet peas and other 

 plants for seed. He accepted. It would 

 be better out there in that balmy cli- 

 mate for Mrs. Lonsdale, he said, and 

 Mr. Burpee had been kind. Philadel- 

 phia gave a great farewell dinner that 

 was really wonderful. Everybody was 

 there to wish God-speed to the dear old 

 Duke of York and the evening was a 

 happy one. 



Out in Lompoc valley Edwin Lons- 

 dale strove to improve a farm until it 

 became a garden where seed production 



Edwin Lonidale. 



(From a portrait made at Lompoc, Cal., September, 1909.) 



and seed tests could be conducted under 

 the most favorable conditions. He con- 

 tinued his hybridizing. One of his re- 

 cent letters spoke of a new color in 

 the petunia. Despite ill health, his let- 

 ters up to a month ago were always 

 cheerful, though recognizing the se- 

 riousness of his condition. Perhaps 

 Tennyson's beautiful lines may come to 

 us as from him: 



Twilight and eTenlng bell. 



And after that the dark. 

 And may there be no sadness of farewell 



When I embark; 

 For though from out our bourne of time and place 



The fl(K>d may bear me far, 

 I hope to see my Pilot face to face 



When I have crossed the bar. 



Phil. 

 Joseph J. Bechamps. 



Joseph J. Bechamps died unexpect- 

 edly, on Labor day, September 6, at 

 his home, 300 State street. Flushing, 

 N. Y. Mr. Bechamps succumbed to 

 arteriosclerosis on the day preceding 

 his seventy-sixth anniversary. He was 

 an extensive grower of carnations at 

 his Bayside greenhouses, where he had 

 been in business for thirty-three years. 

 The products of his 30,000 square feet 

 of glass he had shipped exclusively to 

 J. K. Allen, of New York, for more 

 than twenty-two years. 



Mr. Bechamps is survived by two 

 daughters and three sons, who will 

 continue the business. Burial was made 

 Thursday, September 9. 



John Bubach. 



John Bubach, one of the most widely 

 known "knights of the grip" in the 

 florists' trade, died at Spring Valley, 

 N. Y., August 28, from hasty consump- 

 tion, and was buried August 31 in the 



United States cemetery at Cypress 

 Hills, N. Y. 



Mr. Bubach worked on the road for 

 Lion & Co., New York, for about ten 

 years; for Schloss Bros., New York, for 

 about two years, and for the McCallum 

 Co., Pittsburgh, for a year and a half. 



WATER MAT CAUSE TROUBLE. 



What is the matter with the enclosed 

 specimen of Asparagus Sprengeri, and 

 what is a remedy for it? 



T. E. & S.— Ind. 



Without any particulars as to the 

 conditions under which the asparagus 

 is growing or the treatment it has re- 

 ceived, it is not easy to say what has 

 caused the trouble, but the condition 

 of the specimen would seem to indicate 

 that something is wrong with the 

 water supply. 



Do you get your water from a city 

 supply, and does the water company 

 use chloride of lime in its filters? In 

 the absence of further data, it seems 

 probable that something of this char- 

 acter ma^ have done such an injury. 



W. H. T. 



WORTHLESS A SECOND YEAR. 



If Paper White narcissi, Roman hya- 

 cinths and giganteums are forced for 

 flowers next winter, and if they are 

 taken out and planted in the field in 

 the spring, will they bloom again in the 

 following fall if taken up and put in 

 the house and forced? A. F. C. — Miss. 



No. These bulbs are of little value 

 for planting out, and are absolutely 

 worthless for forcing purposes a second 

 year. 0. W. 



